Chicago Writers Association

“Tis the season to be jolly!” And there’s no better way to spread a little holiday cheer than through thoughtful gift giving over the upcoming weeks. With this in mind, here is our timely gift guide for creative writers and those who love them. Choose one or a combination of several, to end the year Continue Reading »

A racial riot on Chicago’s near west side as seen through the eyes of a young girl serves as the springboard for the winner of the Chicago Writers Association’s 2nd Annual First Chapter Contest. Frank S. Joseph’s opening chapter to “To Do Justice” captured first place. Frank will be awarded a full scholarship to attend the Novel-In-Progress Continue Reading »

Whether you’re a neophyte or a seasoned scribe, NANOWRIMO can be a bit challenging to say the least. Completing 50,000 words in a month’s time requires discipline, diligence, time management and laser-like focus. To increase your odds for success, we’ve assembled some of the best how-tos online to optimize your efforts. Read what other participants Continue Reading »

Authors, have any of the following things ever happened to you after publishing your book? Your book receives a positive review from a prestigious source. Your book wins a literary award. You, or your book, are featured or mentioned on a talk show, YouTube channel, publication or blog. Oprah, Reese Witherspoon or another celebrity selects Continue Reading »

“Can you tell me how much it costs to take out an ad at your site?” asked a publisher in Arizona back in April. Unfortunately, like many bloggers who blog as a labor of love, I never gave serious consideration to earning pay for my say. Not until then. To make a long story short, Continue Reading »

The theme for the November 11th boot camp will be changed to Personal Branding for Writers. The topics for this workshop should benefit writers in all genres. While all proposals will be considered, it would be great to have hands-on presentations for this education session. Vision for Boot Camp Four people will present one-hour Continue Reading »

GUEST POST BY-DISHA DINESH Why choose Twitter as your primary social platform? Well, Twitter is the only platform where you can initiate a conversation with just about anybody within seconds, be it the POTUS or your long lost cousin (provided she’s on Twitter, of course). This inclusivity makes the social media platform an excellent place Continue Reading »

Q. Jim, you started Midwest Book Review in 1976. That is over forty years ago. Why do you think Midwest Book Review has been so successful? A. The three key elements to the success of the Midwest Book Review are: 1. We always provide authors or their publishers with a copy of our review of Continue Reading »

Since its launch in 2009, the CWA Speakers Bureau has provided CWA members a valuable opportunity to book events, build their individual platforms, and sell books, while simultaneously offering event programmers a trusted resource to guide their programming efforts. In August, the CWA will finalize and post the NEW 2017-2018 CWA Speakers Bureau Menu to Continue Reading »

Are you attacked by claustrophobia or drained emotionally when you walk into your home office? An invisible monster sucks away your energy and joy as soon as you take the first step through the door. If this happens to you, clutter could be the culprit. Clutter, or excessive “stuff” arranged in an un-organized manner, can Continue Reading »

"CWA connected me immediately with like minds, the brethren of writers I was looking for. It's an incredibly welcoming group that made a huge difference in my getting continually published. I would recommend the association to any level of writer, poet, journalist, or memoirist."
- David W. Berner, author and journalist